#04062026

Spoilers for 1993's Tombstone.

Okay, I've done some quick research on these screenshots and I wanted to share my interpretation of this. Cody tends to use his Instagram to tell subtle stories to the audience, so I have always found them fascinating, but this especially piqued my interest and I thought it’d be fun to research for my own understanding. I hope this interpretation makes sense!

So the screenshots Cody and Punk tagged each other in are characters from Tombstone, a 1993 western film based on real-life events of the 1880’s. You have two lawmen, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, who team up and take on an outlaw gang called the Cowboys that is terrorizing the town of Tombstone, Arizona, led by Curly Bill Brocius and Johnny Ringo. 

On Instagram, Cody posted a screenshot of Wyatt Earp, a man who is considered a moral center and leader to many. He tries to do things as close to the side of good as possible, but is pushed to his limit by the Cowboys. Wyatt Earp is basically the face of law and order and the white meat, good guy hero of Tombstone. Meanwhile, Punk posted a screenshot of Doc Holliday, a man who is more of a wild card. He is a cynical man but is known as one of the most dangerous gunslingers. He is technically on the side of the law, but tends to go at the beat of his own drum and essentially follows his own rules. In the film, Doc Holliday has tuberculosis, so he is basically a dying man with limited time and nothing to lose. 

There’s a pivotal point in the film where Wyatt Earp realizes he can’t win against the Cowboys without someone who understands the darkness as well as they do. He needs a Devil on his side, someone willing to tap into that dark side that he is unable to. Doc Holliday becomes this Devil, professing to Earp to be the Huckleberry Finn to his Tom Sawyer.

A heroic leader looking to restore law and order to his land. A dangerous, yet loyal, ally who has the hero’s back (at least for now). Said forces coming together to combat two equally opposing juggernauts. Doesn’t this sound familiar?

I could write so much more about how Cody and Punk are perfect representations of Earp and Doc, or how I think Randy Orton and Roman Reigns are great representations of Curly Bill Brocius and Johnny Ringo, respectively, but I can do that in another post if people are interested on behalf of not making this too long.

As a bonus, Dusty referenced the “I’m your Huckleberry” line in the buildup to Battleground 2013. Just a tiny extra Easter egg to wrap this up.

"You're a buck toothed nepo baby who ate dog food for a weird old man"

"I have a receipt coming for you, McAfee"